First Loves are Always the Same
by Ryu-Takehshi
Summary: Ragnarok's been defeated and Kenichi and Miu are together; the world seems so perfect, so why is Takeda pouting? "Isn't there anyone out there like me?" Be careful what you wish for Takeda;opposites don't always attract. TakedaXOC Pls R&R I'm bad at sums.


First Loves are the same

Anime: Shijou Saikyo no Deshi Kenichi

By: Ryu-Takehshi

Takeda Ikki stirred in his seat. Where was he again? Oh right, class… Boring, old class… As his teacher went on about… something, Takeda was sure that it was a pretty safe bet that no one was listening to a word from this guy; so Takeda followed the trend. Not that he had anything better to do, especially after school ended. After he, Kenichi, and the rest of the Shinpaku alliance had defeated Ragnarok, there was just, simply put, nothing to do!

Kenichi was to busy to hang out or spar a little; if he wasn't training at Ryuzanpaku, he was hanging around Miu, fawning over his 'new girlfriend' like a sick puppy.

Takeda also had absolutely no idea where Ukita went off to after school those days, not that Ukita would put up much of a fight compared to Kenichi; who, as Takeda recalled, defeated Ukita in about two seconds by kneeing him in the nose.

If he really wanted to have a good fight, Natsu was perfectly available, but honestly, Takeda wasn't just about to ask the former sixth fist of Ragnarok to a fight… why would he?

And of course, there was the option of beating up Niijima just for the heck of it; but, Takeda didn't for a couple of reasons…

Number one is that it is unethical to injure another human being for enjoyment… Yeah, right… Like Takeda Ikki, AKA Takeda the Striker, thinks like that! No, the real number one is its more fun when Kenichi's around.

Two is that now Niijima had Siegfried as his 'bodyguard.' Where's the pleasure in fighting Siegfried?! Answer: There is none!

So, what was he to do…? His life was so boring now, it was almost unbearable!

"_I need to stretch my legs a bit…"_ he thought to himself as he raised his hand. "Sir… May I go to the washroom?"

"Don't be long…" his teacher replied.

"Yeah…"

Takeda walked out of the classroom and gently closed the door. He then gave a loud sigh and peered into Kenichi and Miu's classroom next door. Kenichi and Miu were exchanging looks at each other as they wrote a test. Takeda shook his head and closed his eyes as he walked off to the boys' room.

"_Kenichi's my friend… I guess I should be happy that he and Miu are together… Maybe I should get a girlfriend…"_ he thought.

Suddenly, a hand tapped him on the shoulder. Without thinking, Takeda blindly threw a punch at whoever it was that had tapped him; hoping it would result in a fight, hoping that the person was good so the fight would last long, and hoping that it wasn't a teacher or the principal!

Takeda could barely make-out what had tapped him because it moved too fast; too fast for even Takeda Ikki to see… The figure, a sort of slender silhouette, dodged his attack gracefully, its head moving at precisely the right time with Takeda's punch. It did a back-flip without its hands touching the ground, and landing on its left foot.

The figure finally slowed down long enough for Takeda to see clearly as it walked towards him. It was a girl, about his height and age, with shoulder-length black hair and deep purplish-blue eyes. She was fair skinned and was hunched over because her hands were in the pockets of her uniform skirt.

"Is this how your school treats _all_ new students?!" she asked sarcastically. Her voice was sweet but had attitude in it.

"Ha, very funny…" Takeda laughed.

"Mei Lynne Takehshi-Transfer student," she smiled as she reached out her hand.

"Takeda Ikki-Pleasure to meet you," Takeda replied as he shook it. "So… what did you need?"

"Huh?"

"You tapped me on the shoulder, right?"

"Yeah, then you threw a punch at me…" she laughed, "anyway, could you point me in the direction of classroom 3-1?"

"It's down this hall, the second door on your right-the only blue door, kinda like the colour of your…" for a moment, Takeda was lost as he stared into her bright, waiting eyes. "Eyes, it's kinda like the colour of your eyes…" he remarked as he regained control once again.

"Oh, thanks!" she said as she ran down the hallway and into the classroom.

Takeda smiled, "Her face was kinda cute when she said that… Whoa! Hold on a sec, 3-1… is _MY_ classroom…"

Takeda rushed back to his class as fast as he could and slammed open the door.

"Ah, Mr. Ikki wonderful of you to join us…" his teacher remarked, "Please take your seat, the new transfer student is here."

Takeda sat down and sent a suspicious look at Ms. Mei Lynne Takehshi who simply smiled back at him; a smile that clearly said, 'Ha-ha! I beat you to class!'

Takeda sighed at the fact that he had now returned to his former imprisonment of boredom; sitting at his desk and waiting for class to be over… That is, until his teacher assigned Ms. Takehshi to sit in the empty seat to the right of Takeda…

The teacher continued to drone about… whatever he was for the last ten minutes or so (or maybe even longer than that.) Mei Lynne took her seat and smiled happily at Takeda; her black hair swaying with the way her head tilted. Takeda blushed slightly, although, he didn't know the reason at all!

"By the way…" Mei Lynne whispered to him, "Out of all of the schools I've been to… this school welcomes new students the best!"

"T-thanks…?" Takeda replied, forgetting to whisper.

"Mr. Ikki!" his teacher suddenly exclaimed, "I will not have talking in my class; so go stand outside in the hallway!"

"Got it…" Takeda shrugged as he got up from his seat.

"S-sorry…" Mei Lynne apologized.

Takeda smiled at her, "Hey, what're you gonna do? It's no one's fault… so don't worry about it!"

Mei Lynne blushed and she also had no idea why. Then, as Takeda walked out of the door, Mei Lynne pouted cutely, a habit of hers when she is in deep thought _"Just what is up with this boy…? Takeda… Ikki…"_

Takeda sighed as he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, "Well, at least I got out of there before my brain exploded!"

"T-Takeda… is that you?"

"Hmm…?" Takeda wondered as he opened his eyes; only to see Kenichi smiling back at him.

"Hey Kenichi," Takeda smiled, "What're you doing out here?"

Kenichi shrugged, "I got busted for talking to Miu in class; how about you?"

"I got busted for talking to a girl too…"

"And what girl might that be, Takeda?"

"N-no one… I mean, she's uhh… just someone I met…"

"Oh really…? _Just_ someone you met?" Kenichi echoed as Takeda's face went completely red.

"Hah, you're blushing!" Kenichi exclaimed teasingly, "Takeda the Striker actually has a girlfriend!"

"N-no!" he protested, "I _just met_ Mei Lynne!"

"Oh, so her name's Mei Lynne, is it…?" Kenichi laughed, "Ma-sensei told me that 'Mei' is the Chinese word for _beauty._"

"Seriously Kenichi; cut it out!" Takeda exclaimed; though in truth, Takeda had to agree; that title was dead on and completely correct.

Just then, Mei Lynne walked out of the classroom and smiled at Takeda as she stood beside him.

"M-Mei Lynne…? Why did you come out?" Takeda wondered.

"Well, I was talking too… It hardly seemed fair that just because I'm the transfer student, I'm allowed to bend the rules… Right, Takeda?"

"Y-yeah…" Takeda agreed as he blushed.

"Hi, you must be Mei Lynne…" Kenichi smiled, "I'm Kenichi Shirahama, Takeda's best friend.

"Nice to meet you Kenichi," Mei Lynne replied, "I'm Mei Lynne Takehshi!"

Kenichi pulled Takeda aside as he said, "Could you hold on for a sec Mei Lynne?"

"Sure…" Mei Lynne nodded.

"So Takeda…" Kenichi teased, "Good choice; she's really cute… like a perfect match for you!"

"Shut up man!" Takeda protested, "I only met her this morning…"

"So you don't deny that you like her?"

"W-what, n-no… yes… Wait… What're you even asking anyway?!"

Kenichi turned around and shrugged sarcastically, "Never mind… you already answered my question…"

"Hey, Kenichi get back here!"

"Is something the matter Takeda?" Mei Lynne wondered.

"N-no…" he smiled hesitantly.

"Yeah… everything's just fine!" Kenichi laughed as he nudged Takeda, "Right Takeda?"

Takeda glared at Kenichi to make him stop laughing (out loud anyway.)

"Hey Mei Lynne… I was just thinking… It was really cool how you did that back flip…"

Mei Lynne suddenly looked shocked as she took a step back, "B-back flip… me?"

"Wow Mei Lynne, you can do a back flip? Do you take any Martial Arts?" Kenichi wondered, "Fighting is a really big aspect at this school…"

"That's an understatement, dude…!" Takeda laughed as the two both recalled all of their past adventures.

"N-no… I can't fight at all!" she replied hesitantly as she backed away. The bell suddenly rang, "Oh look, it's the end of day already… I'll see you both tomorrow!" she waved quickly and then ran off.

"That was weird…" Takeda stated.

"Takeda… did you _really_ see her do a back flip?" Kenichi wondered.

"Y-yeah…" Takeda replied, "I'm sure of it…"

Just then Miu came skipping out of the classroom, "C'mon Kenichi, let's go!" she smiled, "Oh, hi Takeda, would you like to come with us to Ryuzanpaku?"

"Hey Miu…" Takeda waved, "I'd love to…" he nudged Kenichi, "C'mon dude… your girlfriend's here!"

"Right, let's go!" Kenichi nodded.

"Is something wrong Kenichi?" Miu wondered, "You and Takeda kind of seem… out of it…"

"It's just this girl Mei Lynne Takehshi…" Takeda answered, "I saw her do a back flip… and land on one foot at that… but she denies that she knows the first thing about Martial Arts…" Takeda shrugged as he and Kenichi began to walk off.

"We'll just have to deal with it tomorrow…" Kenichi sighed, "I bet she would've been a good tag-team partner for you Takeda… we could've fought… you and her against me and Miu!"

"You'll have to introduce me to her…" Miu smiled.

"If she doesn't run off like she did today…" Takeda laughed as the three began to walk towards Ryuzanpaku.

"_Mei Lynne Takehshi…"_ Miu thought, _"Where have I heard that name before…?"_

Mei Lynne ran out of the school and all the way to her house. She slammed her bedroom door closed and landed on her bed.

"Whew…" she panted as she lay on her back, "That was a close one…"

She reached for her ankle and pulled off a black ankle support as she winced in pain.

"Stupid injury…" she sighed as she rested her ankle on a pillow. "Takeda and his friend probably think I'm so weird!" She pulled out a journal, flipped to an empty page, and began writing.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Dear Journal,

Once again… this ankle of mine has prevented me from becoming friends with people at my new school. I just had to transfer to a school where fighting is the biggest thing! Apparently, if you tap someone on the shoulder they throw a punch at you… I was careless today and did a back flip in the hall. It really did a number to my ankle… But, that boy seemed rather nice about it… Takeda Ikki…

Though, he was the one to throw a punch at me, he was sweet and kind-hearted; and his friend Kenichi Shirahama was just the same!

This time will be different! I won't let my ankle stop me from becoming friends with Takeda and Kenichi… and whatever other friends that they have. They're some of the nicest, funniest people I've met in all of the schools that I've been to. Somehow, I will not let my inability to fight ruin my life again!

Sometimes, I really miss being able to knock down a punching bag with just one roundhouse kick…

Today, I didn't understand why I blushed in class when Takeda smiled at me… Or why I went to go stand beside him in the hall… What's wrong with me?!

-Mei Lynne Takehshi

The next day, as Takeda walked from the Boxing club; he couldn't stop thinking about Mei Lynne.

"Did she really do a back flip; or, did I imagine that?!" he thought. "But, how could I imagine something like that…? Of course she did a back flip! I'll have to ask her today…" he vowed.

Just as he walked onto the school grounds from the main building, Mei Lynne ran up to him, "Good afternoon Takeda!" she smiled.

"Hey, Mei Lynne… just the person I was looking for! About yesterday…"

Mei Lynne looked up and quickly pulled Takeda by the arm, "C'mon, I see Kenichi waving at us!"

"Wait… Hold on! Mei Lynne… Ow, let go!" he exclaimed as she pulled him around the side of the school.

As soon as she stopped Takeda pulled his arm from her grip as he panted, "Hey Kenichi…"

"Good afternoon Takeda; you too Mei Lynne…" Kenichi laughed, "Are you two on a date or something?!"

"Kenichi…!" Takeda scolded as both his and Mei Lynne's faces turned red.

Mei Lynne played it over in her head, "Date… Like, a boyfriend and a girlfriend…?"

Takeda glared at Kenichi as he stated, "Dude… we're NOT on a date understood?!"

Kenichi smiled slyly as he noticed that Mei Lynne wasn't protesting against his remark. "I don't know Takeda… Mei Lynne doesn't seem to think so…"

"H-huh…?" Mei Lynne said as she snapped back to reality, "Oh… uhh, Takeda and I are just friends! Besides, we only met yesterday!"

"Fine, fine… whatever…" Kenichi shrugged.

"Oh, I just remembered!" Takeda smiled suddenly, "Kenichi, care to join me in a good old-fashioned Niijima beating on Saturday? I already invited Tanimoto-kun!"

"Yeah, that sounds like fun!" Kenichi laughed.

"Who's Niijima?" Mei Lynne wondered.

"You haven't met him yet?!" Kenichi asked, "He usually makes it first priority to talk to the new kids…"

"Yeah, so he can exploit them…" Takeda added.

"Sounds scary…" Mei Lynne stated.

"Oh don't worry…" Takeda laughed, "He's not a threat at all; annoying: yes… but, a tough-guy…? Please, a banana could put up a better fight them him!"

"So why do you want to beat him up?!"

The two boys smiled as they exclaimed in unison, "Because it's fun!"

"Anyway…" Takeda began, "You should watch your back in case he sneaks up on you…" he smiled knowingly at her, "Because… you know, you can't fight…"

"R-right…" Mei Lynne nodded as she looked down sadly and began to walk away, "I'll just be going now… I'll see you both tomorrow…" she waved with an obviously forced smile.

"Man…" Kenichi laughed, "You _really_ know how to make a girl like you!"

"Kenichi… shut up!" Takeda said as he pushed him to the ground and then went after Mei Lynne. "Hey, Mei Lynne… Wait up!"

"Kenichi…?" Miu wondered as she came to help him up, "How'd you get on the ground?"

Kenichi stood up and watched Takeda run after Mei Lynne, "Oh…" he smiled, "It's nothing you should concern yourself with Miu… It was for the good of a friend!"

Miu looked where Kenichi was looking and also saw Takeda running off. "I don't know what you're planning Kenichi…" she started, "But, if it's for one of your friends… I know you're doing the right thing!"

Takeda looked all over for Mei Lynne. He finally found her sitting on the edge of the roof where Kenichi and Takeda had their first battle; where, if it wasn't for Kenichi, Takeda's life almost ended. She was sitting right where it happened, where Takeda almost fell…

"Mei Lynne…" Takeda started as he sat beside her, "I'm sorry for bringing up fighting… If you don't like to talk about it, it's alright…"

"Thanks for coming up to apologize; but, you really didn't have to…" she sighed, "My inability to fight is completely my fault, anyway…"

"Well… do you like fighting?" Takeda wondered.

"Yeah…" Mei Lynne nodded, "It's my favourite thing to watch on television!"

"Then, why don't you start learning a Martial Art? Kenichi had almost the same problem before he started training; and now, his skill level's even higher than mine; he knows so many more Martial Arts than I do!"

"It's not the problem of learning the Martial Art… When I said that I couldn't fight… that's exactly what I meant!" She pulled up her leg warmer on her right foot to reveal her black ankle brace.

"But…" she started again, "I wouldn't expect you to understand anyway…"

"Understand what…?"

"How one injury could ruin your entire fighting career…" a tear streamed down her face, "how it could ruin… your entire life…"

Takeda looked up, "Try me…"

She sighed as she dried her tears, "Fine… if you really want to hear my story… then, you'd better listen up; because it's too hard to repeat any part of story like mine!"

"I promise…" Takeda smiled, "Just start…"

"_I've always loved Tae Kwon Doe-it was my passion! Two of my friends and I joined as soon as we were old enough; maybe five or six… and I was the best in my class. _

_But, when I was nine, one of my friends moved away from my old hometown… I was so mad that day that I took all my anger out on my sparring partner… and was banned from Tae Kwon Doe; which separated me from my other friend._

_Luckily, I had enough skill to train on my own; and soon after my thirteenth birthday, I was discovered and sponsored into a tournament because of my talent. A tournament, where my old Tae Kwon Doe school was competing…_

_I made it to the finals with ease; and, to my surprise, my last opponent was none other than my best friend from my old Tae Kwon Doe school…_

_The night before the final match, I got a call from my friend to come over to an old junkyard that we used to play in when we were little. He told me that he was being attacked and needed back-up right away._

_I rushed over as any good friend would; but, when I got there, my friend was completely fine and all alone… _

'_Sorry Mei Lynne… But, I have to win this tournament no matter what…' _

_He told me that right before he pushed me onto the ground and slammed a steel bar onto my right ankle; shattering both my bone and my dreams of ever fighting again!"_

Mei Lynne sighed, "And now, I can pretty much do nothing fun! I only back flipped to dodge your attack, and I _did_ land on my left foot so I wouldn't damage my ankle…"

"Wow…" Takeda laughed, "I can't believe it!"

Mei Lynne stood up, "Thanks for your support…"

"No, that's not what I meant…"

"It's okay… I told you that you wouldn't understand, right? It's exactly what I expected…"

"Mei Lynne… Be careful! That part of the roof is really unstable! It's really easy to fa-"

In that instant, Mei Lynne slipped! She was just about to fall right where Takeda would've if it wasn't for Kenichi. Takeda quickly came to her rescue as he caught her arm at just the right moment and pulled her up onto the roof.

"I told you to be careful…" Takeda laughed.

"Whatever… just stop!" she sighed as she began to walk towards the exit.

Takeda grabbed her hand in an attempt to stop her.

She turned around, "What is it now…? Are you gonna laugh at me some more?!"

He pulled her towards him and kissed her.

Mei Lynne's face went red, "W-what…? Why did you…?"

"You were about to walk off again…" he said, "before I had the chance to explain why I laughed… Just sit back down… please? I listened to your story, now you have to listen to mine…"

"Okay…" Mei Lynne sighed as she sat down beside him and listened intently.

"I'm probably the only person in the world, other than you, that can completely understand what you're talking about…" he smiled, "because the same thing happened to me!"

Takeda explained to her that he laughed because the events in his life were so similar to hers that it was unbearable. He told her all about _his_ tournament and the fight he had with _his_ friend.

When he was through, Mei Lynne smiled at him and kissed him back, "Thank you Takeda… You were the first to finally understand…"

Takeda's face suddenly lit up, "Don't thank me yet! I just had a great idea!"

He took her hand once again, and pulled her to the exit and out of the school. "Where are we going?" Mei Lynne asked as she stopped in her tracks.

Takeda looked over to her. "Aren't you at all wondering why I can move my left arm if I said it was broken in my story?" he asked as he waved his left arm around.

"Yeah…" she nodded, "Why is that…?"

"It's because Kenichi brought me to one of his senseis and he fixed my arm perfectly so I could take up boxing again!"

"So you're bringing me to him?"

"Well, our stories are both so similar; they might as well end the same way!"

"Yeah…" she smiled, "I guess you're right!"

As they were walking, two boys came up to Mei Lynne and started to talk to her. Takeda knew that they meant trouble and that Mei Lynne couldn't do anything about them because she couldn't fight back.

When the two boys couldn't find any money on her, they picked her up and threw her against the wall.

"Mei Lynne…!" Takeda exclaimed as he knocked out the two with his fabled 'Illusionary Left Fist' and then ran to her side. She wasn't moving… Takeda lifted her up gently and began to run in the direction of Ryuzanpaku.

He could faintly feel Mei Lynne's heartbeat against his chest. _"I've got to make it… hold on Mei Lynne… Just hold on…"_

He burst through the Ryuzanpaku entrance to see Akisame Koetsuji smiling at him.

"Good Evening Takeda… Kenichi is on a date with Miu right now, so what brings you here?" the ever-calm Akisame wondered.

"S-sensei… can you please save this girl?!" Takeda asked frantically.

"Hmm…" he answered as he inspected some of the wounds on Mei Lynne's arms and legs, "Yes… it seems doable!"

"Thank you…" Takeda bowed as he handed Mei Lynne to Akisame.

"Do you mind waiting out here while I do my treatment?"

"Not at all sir… as long as Mei Lynne will be okay…"

Akisame nodded as he brought Mei Lynne into the hospital room, "Alright… just wait here then…"

"Got it…" Takeda panted as he sat himself down outside of the door. _"Mei Lynne… Please recover… Please be alright… Please…"_

After about an hour or so, Akisame walked out of the room and Takeda stood up. "Well…?" he asked.

"She has to rest for awhile… I already called her parents and informed them on what had happened and that she would be staying here tonight… But, Takeda, you should go home…" Akisame explained.

"Alright…" Takeda nodded, "I'll come by tomorrow morning… Thank you sensei…"

Takeda was just about to leave when Akisame remarked, "Oh, one more thing… Based on her stature… she's at a high level in Tae Kwon Doe… Am I correct?"

Takeda nodded as Akisame continued, "And that injury on her _right_ ankle… is very close to your old injury on your _left_ arm…"

"Strange coincidence… huh…?" Takeda smiled.

"I once read that people who are exact opposites and those that are exactly the same are usually drawn to each other…"

"What if they're both… the same and opposite together at once…?"

"That's definitely something to think about…" Akisame nodded.

"Right…" Takeda remarked as he left.

Akisame sighed, "Kenichi always makes friends with such interesting people… I'm glad…"

Just then, he spotted Ma Kensei walking towards the hospital room, "What do you think you're doing…?" Akisame glared at him.

"N-nothing… I'm just going to treat the new patient…"

"She's perfectly fine and in no need of any acupuncture…"

"Fine…" Ma pouted, "Be that way… I'll just go find Shigure…"

Akisame rolled his eyes as Kenichi and Miu arrived, "We're back…" Kenichi called.

"I'll get started on dinner…" Miu smiled as she walked to the kitchen.

"Kenichi…" Akisame started.

"Yes Koetsuji-sensei…?"

"You aren't permitted to go into the hospital room tonight… understood?"

"Of course… But, can I ask why…?"

"I'm sure you'll find out tomorrow…" Akisame smiled.

"O-okay…" Kenichi nodded as he walked towards the dining room, "I'll go see if Miu needs any help…"

The next day, a Friday when there was no school, Takeda woke up and rushed over to Ryuzanpaku right away. Though, whenever there was no school he was happy; today he was especially happy; and it's all because of Mei Lynne Takehshi

Takeda kicked the door as he called, "Yo it's Takeda; can I come in?"

The door slowly opened as Kenichi gave his friend a confused look, "T-Takeda…? What're you doing here?"

Takeda was just about to answer when Akisame appeared, "Oh, hello Takeda… You can make your way to the hospital room…"

"Thanks sensei!" Takeda smiled as he rushed into the room and closed the door behind him.

"Koetsuji-sensei, what's going on?" Kenichi wondered.

"Would you like me to give you the answer to your question from last night?" Akisame said as the two walked towards the hospital room.

"It would help…" Kenichi smiled as Akisame slowly opened the door so that Kenichi could peer in.

"Hey, you alright…?" Takeda asked softly as he sat by the bed.

Mei Lynne slowly came to; smiling the moment she saw Takeda's face. "I am now… thanks to you…"

He put his hand to her head; "I'm glad…" he nodded.

"T-Takeda…?" Kenichi wondered aloud as he walked into the room, "A-and Mei Lynne…?"

"K-Kenichi…? What're you doing here?" Mei Lynne asked.

"This is where Kenichi trains and lives…" Takeda explained, "One of his senseis cured you…"

"And by cured, you mean…" Her head slowly lifted from her pillow as she stared at her right ankle. It moved to the left… and then to the right as Mei Lynne's face lit up with excitement.

"N-no way…!" she said, shocked. "Thank you Takeda…!"

Kenichi was in the dark as he smiled sheepishly, "Umm… could I please have an explanation?"

Takeda smiled at his confused friend as he got up and led Kenichi to the door. "I'll tell you out here… Besides, Mei Lynne needs her rest." He nodded at her, "I'll check up on you later…"

"Alright," she nodded.

Once outside, Takeda explained what had happened and soon, Kenichi was fully up to speed. Takeda slowly opened the door and peered inside, only to find that Mei Lynne was fast asleep. The two boys quietly walked inside and sat down; Takeda smiled down at the sleeping girl's face.

"Just to be sure," Kenichi began quietly, "I was right, wasn't I?"

"What are you going on about now?"

"The fact that you really like Mei Lynne…"

"You know what Kenichi…!" Takeda snapped as Kenichi looked up at him. Takeda sighed as he bent over and kissed Mei Lynne's forehead.

"Yes Kenichi…" Takeda nodded, "You were absolutely right…"


End file.
